Remnant: The Game
by Commando2341
Summary: Weiss Schnee has absolutely no experience with video games, at all. A system message announcing that she is The Gamer hence causes some confusion. Gamer!Weiss.
1. Chapter 1: Birth of a Gamer

**Remnant: The Game**

 **Chapter 1 - Birth of a Gamer**

* * *

Routines have a powerful effect. They creep up on you, unannounced. In the blink of an eye, months can pass whilst the motions of the day become ingrained in your muscle memory. Suddenly, anything not in your routine is out of place, jarring.

So a status window appearing in front of Weiss Schnee, a week after her 12th birthday, upon waking up was decidedly _not_ routine and resulted in some confusion.

 **Welcome to Remnant: The Game! As the Gamer, you are the main character of your own story. Explore Remnant at your leisure, meeting new people, discovering new places and possibly unearthing long-lost truths about the nature of Remnant. Good luck, and have fun!**

Weiss blinked.

" _What? Am I dreaming? Hallucinating? The Gamer?"_

Weiss was aware of the concept of video games, but was far removed from the matter as they were expressly forbidden in her house since her father had stated that they caused the mind to rot.

Pinching herself did not remove the aberrant window, nor did turning her head as the window followed her point of view.

" _It's clearly visible, but yet not physically present. Objects phase through it, undisturbed. It must be a kind of projection… but from where? Either I am going insane, or… could it be my semblance? My aura was awakened a week ago, though, so it would be very early and additionally all members of the Schnee family have a glyph semblance. Assuming it is true, am I some sort of… video game character?"_

Weiss distantly noted that the situation was not distressing her as much as it should have, but dismissed the thought to focus on the problem at hand.

" _How can I get rid of it then? Voice activated?"_

"Close! Exit! Dismiss!"

Stubbornly, the window sat there, taunting Weiss with its presence.

" _So it doesn't want to exit... Do I continu- oh."_

 **Would you like to enter the tutorial? (New players are recommended to do so.)**

" _So it's thought activated, at the very least… I still don't know if voice commands work, however."_

"Yes."

 **Welcome to the Tutorial! Please select a faction.**

 **[Mankind][Grimm]**

 ***Mankind has been automatically selected***

" _Wait. Why was Grimm an option? Continue."_

 **Let's begin with commands. There are two types of commands in this game: soft and hard commands. Soft commands may be activated by thought or speech whilst hard commands may be activated only by speech. An example of the former is commands for navigating the menu, whilst an example of the latter is to activate skills. To continue, think or say 'Next'.**

" _Next."_

 **Congrats! Soft commands are generally limited to monosyllabic words, such as 'Yes', 'No' or 'Next'. These commands are nonetheless extensive, with many things falling under their purview.**

" _Next."_

 **Hard commands, as stated before, can only be activated by speech. No one will notice in public if you use them in earshot of others, save those you have informed about this ability. Now, let's open the Main Menu.**

From the description, Weiss noted that it appeared as though only a limited number of people could be told about her semblance. She filed it away for future reference.

" _Menu."_

 **The Main Menu lists the system features that are currently accessible to you. Take a good look, as this will become very familiar to you.**

 **Status**

 **Skills**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

 **Let's start with the Status screen.**

" _I wonder if this tutorial is rigid. Can I force it to go elsewhere? Inventory."_

 **Don't get cheeky on us, now. Experimenting with the system is certainly encouraged, but for now, let's complete the Tutorial first. Access the Status screen, please.**

" _So either it has backup routines for when a person deviates or it has limited self-awareness. The latter is more probable, though. Status."_

 **Weiss Schnee**

 **Level: 1**

 **Title: The Gamer**

 **HP: 100/100**

 **HPR: 1/min**

 **AP: 150/150**

 **APR: 1.25/min**

 **STR: 5** (7)

 **AGI: 8** (11)

 **VIT: 6** (8)

 **DEX: 7** (10)

 **INT: 9** (13)

 **WIS: 7** (10)

 **LUK: 6**

 **Stat Points: 0**

 **EXP: 0/50**

 **Credits: 500 Lien**

 **Condition: Refreshed**

" _Level 1? Am I the weakest person, then?"_

 **This is your profile page. These numbers are critical to you, so learn this page well.**

" _Next."_

 **The following are explanations of the various statistics displayed on this page.**

 **Level: This is your current Level. Levels are an average of the power of an individual - the higher the level, the more powerful the character is. It is increased by earning Experience Points (EXP). Leveling up increases your base HP and AP and will additionally provide 3 points to allocate to your stats as you wish.**

 **Title: This is your current Title. Each title has various effects associated with it and are unlocked by meeting certain criteria.**

 **Hit Points (HP): Hit Points are representative of how much damage your body can receive before falling. Damage taken reduces your current HP. If the bar drops to zero, you lose consciousness, whilst if more than twice your total HP is taken in damage, death is possible. For example, if you took more than 160 HP of damage right now, death could occur. HP can be recovered by eating, sleeping or using items.**

 **Hit Point Regeneration (HPR): This is how fast you passively recover HP.**

 **Aura Points (AP): Aura Points are a measure of your Aura. They are consumed in place of HP if damage is taken and furthermore are used to cast spells. If Aura is exhausted, damage will begin to impact your HP bar instead. Like HP, AP can be refilled by using the same methods. Aura passively increases your other core stats, excluding LUK, given that there is AP left in the bar.**

 **Aura Point Regeneration (APR): This is how fast you passively recover AP.**

" _It's logical, if nothing else."_

 **Strength (STR): Strength determines how physically strong your body is. This corresponds to how hard a weapon can be swung or how much weight can be lifted. Your inventory is also governed by this stat.**

 **Agility (AGI): Agility determines the speed at which your body can move. Speed and reflexes are attributable to this stat.**

 **Vitality (VIT): Vitality measures how tough you are. HP, HPR and resistance to illness are affected by this value.**

 **Dexterity (DEX): Dexterity measures how well you can coordinate your body. Skills such as hand-eye coordination or balance are directly affected by this stat.**

 **Intelligence (INT): Intelligence determines how smart you are. The higher this stat is, the faster your learning rate and your maximum AP. Spellcasting is affected by Intelligence.**

 **Wisdom (WIS): Wisdom is how well you utilise knowledge provided to you. This affects intuition and APR.**

 **Luck (LUK): Luck is, well, luck. The higher this stat is, the more probable an outcome is in your favour.**

 **The bolded amount for the core stats is the base value, whilst in brackets is the value after multipliers, such as Aura, have been applied.**

 **Stat Points: This is the amount of points you currently have to allocate amongst your core stats.**

 **Experience Points (EXP): This is representative of your progress between levels. Completing quests or training of skills increases this value.**

 **Credits: This is the amount of money you currently hold. The default currency of Remnant is Lien.**

 **Condition: This is your current state of being. It directly affects your current stats. Right now, since you have just woken up after a deep sleep, you have the condition 'Refreshed'. This increases all stats by 25%, except LUK, but only for one hour.**

" _I should try to make all long-term plans or strategies whilst under the effects of this boost, then, to maximise the gain from INT and WIS."_

 **Your realisation upon the best method to use this buff increases WIS by 1.**

As the effect took hold of her, Weiss felt her mind clear slightly. It was as though a bit of fog had been removed from her mind, demonstrating her increased capacity for decision making: the ideal choice was slightly more apparent to her. As decision making was directly tied to WIS, Weiss decided to try and maximise this stat in the short run, as any further decisions would be improved by her increased wisdom.

 **Your realisation that WIS is the best stat to increase early in the game increases WIS by 1.**

Wisdom, Weiss reasoned, was able to be trained by mental exercise and that the improvements would then pay back themselves with interest down the road. It was equally likely that planning smartly and understanding life lessons would also increase WIS, since it was frequently said that those with the most experience of life were also the wisest - the elderly, for example.

 **Your understanding of the ideal methods to train WIS increases WIS by 1.**

Weiss therefore realised that these rapid increases of WIS were likely due to the relatively low value it held. Increasing the skill at higher ranks would be correspondingly difficult, since she would be much wiser and hence having revelations such as these would be much rarer. It was akin to learning an instrument: moving from grade 0 to grade 1 proficiency was simple, but progressing from being a grade 9 to a grade 10 musician required months, even years, of study and practice. Hence, at that point, raising WIS would depend on repeatedly good decision making or usage of her points from increasing her level. Applying this to all her skills, it would therefore be ideal to level them through natural usage of the skills and then after hitting their plateau to then use the points to raise them further.

 **Your understanding of the ideal methods to allocate points increases WIS by 1.**

" _Alright, that's enough on that. Next."_

 **Let's return to the Menu.**

" _Return."_

 **Status**

 **Skills**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

 **Now that we've covered the Status page, let's try accessing the Skills page.**

" _Skills."_

 **Skill List**

 **Gamer's Mind - Level: MAX**

 **Gamer's Body - Level: MAX**

 **Observe - Level: 1**

 **Aura - Level: 1**

 **Aura Channeling - Level: 1**

 **This is your skill list. It may look a bit barren right now, however as you keep playing the game this list will rapidly swell as you experience more things. Therefore, there are a few features to help with organisation. The layout may be shifted by using the Hard Command 'Grid' or 'List' which may then be arranged by Soft Commanding 'Alphabetical', for example. This page is fully customisable, so feel free to add as many categories or subheadings as you want.**

Weiss swapped the layouts a few times, seeing which she preferred, before finally settling on List. Weiss, being a very organised person, then created categories such as 'Active', 'Passive', 'Interest', 'Useful' and 'Litter'. The first two skills she moved to the 'Litter' category, as whilst they were certainly useful, due to their max level there was nothing she could do to improve them and hence were irrelevant to her, beyond knowing their static effects.

 **Your wise decision to organise this window increases WIS by 1.**

Frowning at the message, since to Weiss organisation was as natural as breathing, she continued the tutorial.

 **To see the full effects of a skill, Soft Command the name of it. Try using it on Gamer's Body.**

" _Gamer's Body."_

 **Gamer's Body (Passive) - Level: MAX**

 **The user is given a body that functions as if in a video game. Therefore, all HP, AP and Status effects are removed after sleep. Sleeping in a bed for more than 6 hours grants an improvement in Condition.**

 **Well done. Check out the other skills you have, now.**

" _Gamer's Mind."_

 **Gamer's Mind (Passive) - Level: Max**

 **Allows the user to live life as a video game. As such, the user can calmly and logically think through any situation. Immunity to Psychological Effects.**

" _That explains why I was acting rationally when I first discovered this semblance that has turned me into a video game character… Why me though? Semblances are believed to be reflections of a person's soul - I have never had any experience with video games. I could somewhat understand if it manifested in someone who played video games 24/7, but I don't. So, the question remains - why me?"_

 **Long-term Quest! "The Nature of Aura, Semblances and the Soul"**

 **Description: Discover the nature of the soul, and how this affects one's semblance.**

 **Rewards: 100,000 EXP, Title: Enlightened**

 **Failure Penalty: None.**

 **Do you wish to accept?**

" _That… is a lot of experience. I'm Level one, and need 100 EXP for Level 2. Extrapolating, that could well be enough for 30-35 levels. Right now however, the point is moot, seeing as Remnant's best scientists are no closer to an answer on this subject than they were five decades ago. I don't think I'll be able to complete it, but since there is no failure penalty, it doesn't hurt to try. I accept."_

 **Quest logged. More features about Quest systems may be found in the Quest tab.**

" _I should go back to the skills section of the Tutorial. Observe."_

 **Observe (Active/Passive) - Level: 1**

 **Created through continued observation. This skill allows the user to gain information on any object or person. Active use increases the amount of information observed. A higher level corresponds to a greater set of information being revealed.**

" _Aura."_

 **Aura (Active/Passive) - Level: 1**

 **The manifestation of one's soul. In ages past, Man, born from dust, learned to wield the light of their being against the Grimm. Aura has allowed Man to reach past their limits and drive back the darkness.**

 **Passively increases STR, AGI, VIT, DEX, INT and WIS by 15% + 0.25% per level.**

 **Actively increases STR, AGI, VIT, DEX, INT and WIS by a further 15% + 0.25% per level.**

 **Incoming damage when Aura is available is reduced by 90% and absorbed by your AP as opposed to your HP.**

 **Cost [Static]: 20 AP/min.**

 **Aura Channelling (Active) - Level: 1**

 **The ability to channel Aura into mundane objects, strengthening them or activating Dust within them, where applicable.**

 **Cost [Variable]: 50 AP/dm3**

 **Tip: Skills can be acquired in a variety of ways. Performing Skill Actions, for example, is one way to obtain skills. These actions can be anything from mundane activities to specialised training. Here's a freebie: singing the lyrics to any song will unlock the "Singing" skill. You can also learn skills from Skill Books. These are books that contain the knowledge required to perform the skill. Activating the Skill Book will automatically teach you the skill, but in the process will consume the book.**

 **Now, let's go back to the Main Menu.**

" _Menu."_

 **Status**

 **Skills**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

 **You can choose to complete the Tutorial here, or stay and experiment further with the system.**

" _Learning about the system is probably a good idea. I should continue."_

 **Your wise decision to stick with the Tutorial has increased WIS by 1.**

" _Inventory."_

 **This is your Inventory. You don't have anything at the moment. As a reward for staying, here's a Skill Book.**

Weiss blinked in surprise as a book materialised in her inventory.

 **The Inventory page is fully customisable, like the Skills page. The default categories are 'All', 'Usable', 'Weapons', 'Armour', 'Accessories' and 'Quest Items'.**

" _That seems appropriate for now. I'll just make a Trash category."_

 **To take items out, simply select the item desired and pull it out. It will appear to materialise out of thin air in your hand. Try it with the book.**

Weiss did as instructed, jumping slightly when a glowing book landed in her open hands out of nowhere. Curious, she Observed the book.

 **The Basics of Glyphcasting**

 **Description: A magical tome upon the subject of glyphs and the summoning thereof. Teaches the skill 'Glyphcasting'.**

 **Would you like to learn this skill?**

" _Yes."_

The book disappeared in a flash of golden light as it flowed into Weiss' mind. The feeling of instantaneously learning a skill was… disconcerting. It was as though the process of learning was condensed into a single moment, akin to unblocking a barrier that Weiss was unaware of. The knowledge flowed through her, as she could see how the process was done and hence how to apply it.

 **Glyphcasting (Active) - Level 1**

 **A physical representation of one's Aura. Glyphs can be used in a wide variety of ways, such as simple platforms or complex spellcasting.**

 **Cost [Variable]: 100 AP/glyph.**

" _That's… convenient. I can use this at least to pretend my Semblance is Glyphcasting to avoid suspicion. Furthermore, there's this mention of Variable vs. Static cost. I'm assuming that Static means the cost will not change whilst Variable means the cost will change, perhaps as level increases._

 **On the left of the Inventory is the Equipment Screen. It is not necessary to access this screen to change equipment, but it is useful to quickly show what you are currently wearing."**

 _Finally, let's look at Quests. Menu."_

 **Status**

 **Skills**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

" _Quests."_

 **Quests are tasks you can choose to undertake. These can be literally anything, ranging from defeating monsters, attending an event or simply fetching an item for someone. The rewards are variable, but often worthwhile whilst failure can have disastrous consequences. Be sure that when you accept a Quest you are capable of completing it.**

 **There are three categories for Quests: Available, In Progress and Complete. To select a Quest to view its information, simply Soft Command the name of it.**

 **Quests may be completed by marking them as finished in the information section of the quest when it has been completed or by triggering an action that signifies its completion. For example, if a Quest was to fetch an item for someone, giving the item to the Quest giver automatically completes it.**

There were three Quests under the In Progress tab.

" **The Nature of Aura, Semblances and the Soul."**

" **Complete the Tutorial."**

" **Breaking the Fourth Wall."**

" _Breaking the Fourth Wall."_

 **Breaking the Fourth Wall (In Progress)**

 **Main Objective: Discover why you cannot inform more than 5 people about the nature of your semblance. Current people who know: 0/5**

 **Rewards**

 **Main Objective: 250,000 EXP, Ability to freely share details of your Semblance, Title: Prophet**

 _"Really? There's a limit on how many people I can inform of my semblance? In that case, who should I tell... Winter seems like a good choice, but I'll hold off on the rest for now."_

" _Complete the Tutorial."_

 **Complete the Tutorial (In Progress)**

 **Main Objective: Finish the Tutorial! (In Progress)**

 **Bonus Objective (1): Cheeky - Disobey a system command. (Complete)**

 **Bonus Objective (2): Thorough Investigator - Examine all of the Main Menu options. (Complete)**

 **Bonus Objective (3): Perfectionist - Complete all of the Objectives. (In Progress)**

 **Rewards**

 **Main Objective: +50 EXP, +1 to STR, AGI, VIT, DEX, INT, WIS**

 **Bonus Objectives (1), (2) and (3): +25 EXP and +1 Stat Point per objective complete**

" _Finish"_

 **Congratulations, you have taken the first step of your journey as the Gamer! Now, armed with the tools you need, go forth into Remnant and forge your own destiny! Most importantly, however, enjoy yourself!**

" **Complete the Tutorial" - Quest Complete!**

 **Rewards: +125 EXP, +1 to STR, AGI, VIT, DEX, INT, WIS, +3 Stat Points**

 **You have gained a level! You are now Level 2.**

" _So, my semblance has turned me into a video game character. I have absolutely no idea how video games work, but I need to start researching them. This is a system: inherently, it can be broken to maximise the potential present in it. It's my life; I should therefore squeeze every advantage I can out of it. I'll need more information than I have currently, but as far as I can tell, the core stats have various effects upon my body. From the descriptions, it seems likely VIT is tied to my HP value, whilst INT and WIS affect my AP and APR. Figuring out the formulas linking those will likely give me an increase in INT. For now, I should gather as much information as possible and see if it is applicable to my situation."_

 **Your thorough understanding and dissection of the situation has increased INT by 1.**

* * *

 **Weiss Schnee**

 **Level: 2**

 **Title: The Gamer**

 **HP: 140**

 **HPR: 1.4/min**

 **AP: 190**

 **APR: 1.85/min**

 **STR: 6** (8)

 **AGI: 9** (13)

 **VIT: 7** (10)

 **DEX: 8** (11)

 **INT: 11** (15)

 **WIS: 14** (20)

 **LUK: 6**

 **Stat Points: 6**

 **EXP: 75/150**

 **Credits: 500 Lien**

 **Condition: Refreshed**

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **Commando here with a Gamer/RWBY crossover, with Weiss as the MC. I've seen Jaune, Ruby, Blake and Pyrrha all done as the MC in this type of fic, but never Weiss.**

 **One could argue that Weiss isn't the type to get this Semblance, but hey, that's what the quest is for.**

 **The numbers are difficult to balance - I hope the system I've got at the moment works, but if you spot any particularly broken synergies between abilities, feel free to let me know.**

 **Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, and please follow/favourite if you enjoyed reading.**


	2. Chapter 2: Random Encounters

**To those 26 that have favorited and 40 that have followed as of this moment, you're awesome. Heads up in advance, I added a skill in Ch. 1 that you wouldn't have seen before.**

 **All rights regarding RWBY belong to Rooster Teeth. I have mixed feelings on the matter.**

* * *

 **Remnant: The Game**

 **Chapter 2: Random Encounters**

Sitting in the Schnee library, Weiss looked at the mountain of books sat before her. One week had passed since the discovery of her Semblance and the time had been spent… productively.

The Schnee library had been a _godsend_ when it came to skill books. Her father insisted upon having an extensively stocked library, to the extent that the collection rivalled the main libraries of _city states._

The true treasure, however, was that almost all of the books had duplicates and hence Weiss could feel less… guilty about consuming them with her Semblance. It wouldn't do to accidentally destroy an ancient manuscript, for example.

The first two days had been spent researching the common tropes of videogames. Weiss learned about the common roles in RPG games - tank, melee DPS, ranged DPS, healers and so on. Each class had strengths and weaknesses: Weiss was intrigued at the amount of strategy and coordination some video games required.

" _I still can't believe that textbook titled 'Treatise upon Game Theory and Applications Thereof' by Jean Tirole concerned the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent, rational decision-makers. The title sounded so promising, too."_

Nevertheless, Weiss had learned significant amounts about the nature of videogames - and where her own position was within that framework.

" _I'm not cut out to be a tank. Typically, tanks build STR-VIT. I could theoretically spec for that class, but my body type hinders that pursuit, seeing as it is naturally small and lithe. Besides which, my strongest asset is my intelligence. INT builds traditionally signify a mage role - ranged arcane DPS. This is ideal for me as the Schnee heiress since I have essentially limitless access to Dust - an important tool in the Mage's arsenal since it provides elemental synergies. An ordinary energy bolt, for example, can be changed to have several different effects if catalysed by Dust._

 _Hence, I'm going to spec to be a Mage. Glyphcasting helps in that regard, as it's the traditional form of magic in Remnant - pure Aura skills have fallen out of favour in that regard, owing to difficulties in exerting that amount of control over Aura in its most basic state. There have been numerous instances where Mages in ancient times have blown off hands or arms when trying to manifest Aura as energy projectiles, due to losing control of it and prematurely exploding. The advent of Dust-based ammunition sealed the coffin as they are much easier to mass-produce: highly skilled mages took decades to reach their full potential, whilst a squad of complete novices can be provided with Dust rifles and have immediate impact on a battlefield._

 _Myrtenaster is particularly helpful in this class, seeing as it provides me benefits in three separate areas. It can act as a channel for my aura, replacing the traditional wooden stave used by mages. Additionally, the Dust cylinders in Myrtenaster can be used to infuse the Aura as it passes through, acting as catalyst for the reaction. And finally, Myrtenaster is helpful for melee range if - no, when - something engages me in melee combat. I should learn skills to actively avoid that particular scenario, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."_

Pursuits in that direction had been less fruitful: by nature, offensive skills tended to be more developed as they were seen as flashier or more important whilst defence was neglected, but there was enough for Weiss to be cautiously optimistic. For example:

 **Aura Barrier (Active) - Level: 1**

 **An Aura projection of varying size and strength. Absorbs incoming damage up to the total health of the barrier before shattering.**

 **Cost [Variable]: 100 AP/cast**

 **Current HP of barrier: 25 HP**

Certainly, the skill was inefficient at Level 1. A full half of her AP was required to cast this and it only provided an increase in effective health of 25 hit points, but it was the nature of skills that as they increased in level their strength increased proportionally.

Her burgeoning skill list was cause for simultaneous pride and worry: by their nature, some skills were going to be more useful than others and therefore it was necessary to leave some by the wayside in favour of others. As much as Weiss would have liked to invest equal time into all her skills, Dust Efficiency was likely more useful to her than Dishwashing, for example.

" _I didn't expect Dishwashing to be a skill, in fairness. I was experimenting as to how far my Semblance extended, but I didn't expect to receive that skill."_

Therefore, a regimen of some kind was needed to maximise the time invested, after all. Her body might not get tired, but her time was still limited.

Incidentally, that was one of the oddest things to arise from her research: video game characters do not need sleep to function properly. As such, neither did Weiss. It still hadn't fully sunk in how useful that could be - by not sleeping, Weiss gained an extra _9-10_ _hours_ _a day_ to dedicate to other activities.

That could wait, however.

Winter was here, after all, having returned from her first semester at Atlas Academy.

* * *

"Winter! I'm so happy to see you! I- I mean, your presence honours us."

Smiling slightly at her younger sister's out-of-character cheer, Winter greeted her parents cordially before returning her attention to Weiss.

"Winter, I unlocked my Semblance! I want to tell you all about it! Can you come to my room? Please?"

Winter had to force herself to not be affected by the puppy eyes on Weiss' face. She was _12_ , for Dust's sake, why does she look that _adorab-_

Ahem.

"Congratulations, Weiss. How are you coming along with your glyphs? It's a multidimensional ability with many uses, you should consider yourself lucky."

A fleeting expression crossed Weiss' face before it was instantly removed. It was hard to tell, but it seemed to consist of regret and… apprehension?

"Yes, they are. If you'll excuse us, Father, I'd like to talk to Winter in private."

Receiving his assenting nod, Weiss turned and returned to her quarters with Winter following in silence, musing over the expression she had seen. She doubted her parents could see it - the angle was wrong - but she certainly had.

" _How should I tell Winter about my semblance? There's no easy way to do it… I know she'll accept it, so I don't know why I'm worried about it. Just tell her, no beating around the bush."_

Her reverie was interrupted by Winter gently calling her name.

"Weiss?"

"Apologies, Winter. How has Atlas Academy been? With the education you received here, I can't see you having too much difficulty in academic or combat subjects."

"Weiss, you don't have to speak so formally. It's not a gala. But nevertheless, Atlas has certainly been different. It is true, the training I received here has been very helpful. The major difference, however, is the increasing militarisation of the academy by the Headmaster, Colonel Ironwood. There's been increased pressure from the faculty to students in order to coax them into joining the Atlesian Special Forces."

"Really? Doesn't that cross the treaty about Hunters, since they are not sworn to city states?"

"Yes, there have been noises from other academies - Beacon Academy of Vale being the primary detractor - that these actions do cross the international treaty. The Colonel is not worried about it, though - I believe he is sponsored by senators in the Atlesian government and has orders to increase Atlas' military might. If I were to speak frankly, I would not recommend you apply to Atlas academy, Weiss. Enough of me, though. How have you been?"

"I've been busy, particularly after unlocking my Aura and then discovering my Semblance. I've been studying a great amount, particularly with regards to Aura."

"Ah, yes, your glyphs. How have you been handling them? Don't worry if you can't make them very big right now - it took me quite some time to make them larger than the palm of my hand."

Absently, Weiss summoned a glyph in the air and held it briefly, before dismissing it. The shatter punctuated the suddenly pregnant silence.

"No, that's not what I wanted to speak to you about. You see… Glyphcasting isn't actually my Semblance."

Winter blinked. Weiss was fairly confident her brainwaves had momentarily short-circuited.

"Bu- but a Schnee _always_ has a Glyph semblance. The last recorded Schnee without one was _centuries_ ago. And if it isn't, what was that just now? It wasn't an ordinary glyph, it had the Schnee emblem in it… I don't follow you, Weiss."

Snorting, Weiss glanced at her sister.

"Trust me, I don't understand half of it, either. The best way I can explain my Semblance is, well, a demonstration."

So saying, Weiss invited Winter to her party.

If Winters brainwaves had short-circuited before, this was a full reboot of the system. Winter stood stock still, staring at the screen that had appeared out of nowhere.

 **You have received an invite to the party named 'Weiss'. Would you like to accept?**

 **[Yes][No]**

Weiss' mirth-filled voice filled the air.

"Tap the Yes option, Winter."

Stirring from her catatonic state, Winter followed the command, robotically extending a finger to do as instructed.

The message dissipated, but Winter wasn't focused on that by any means.

No, she was definitely focused on the words appearing over Weiss' head.

 **Weiss Schnee**

 **Level: 3**

 **The Gamer**

Then, a system reboot _really_ did occur.

Namely, Winter fainted.

* * *

" _I can't say that was completely unexpected, but still. Hopefully she's not out of it too long, though. I do need to tell her about my Semblance, after all."_

Deciding to pass time whilst waiting for Winter to wake up, Weiss Observed her sister.

 **Winter Schnee**

 **Level: 35**

 **Title: Apprentice Summoner**

 **HP: 1040/1040**

 **AP: 1210/1210**

 **STR: 27**

 **AGI: 44**

 **VIT: 34**

 **DEX: 38**

 **INT: 51**

 **WIS: 39**

 **LUK: 25**

" _Winter is so much stronger than I am. I understand that she's 5 years older than me, but this much is surprising. I wonder if this is due to her special training or is this the approximate level of first-year Hunters? Ah, she's moving."_

Indeed, Winter had awoken.

"Weiss, _please_ explain to me what is going on? Why are there… titles above your head? What is your party?"

There really wasn't any other way to explain other than the truth, so Weiss did just that.

"Winter, I am The Gamer. My semblance turns me into a video game character, with all of the abilities associated. I now have stats, skills and level up by earning experience. Try saying 'Status'."

After imitating a puffer fish for several seconds, Winter did so, eyes glazed the entire time.

"Wha-? This is..!"

"Your stats, yes. Take a look at them. For the record, you're much stronger than I am. I'm slightly jealous."

"Are these accurate? I assume that they stand for Strength, Agility, Vitality, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Luck? What are HP and AP?"

"To the best of my knowledge, yes, the stats are accurate. It would make sense that your intelligence is highest whilst physicals are weaker - you always were more intellectually inclined. And that is what they mean, yes. HP stands for Hit Points and AP stands for Aura Points. Consider it a bar of your health and aura. When they run out, they're empty and no longer usable. If HP runs out, you can faint or die, depending."

"So, your semblance quantifies your… characteristics?"

"Amongst other things, yes."

"I'm hesitant to ask what the other things are, but needs must. What else?"

"My Semblance allows me to store items in an Inventory -"

So speaking, Weiss withdrew a skill book from said inventory, materialising it in front of Winter to her consternation.

"- Absorb information from skill books such as this, destroying it in the process -"

Weiss proceeded to learn the skill from the book, dematerialising it into a stream of golden particles flowing into her mind with a flash of light.

 **Dimension (Active) - Level: 1**

 **The ability to separate pockets of reality from the web of space-time. Actions within these Dimensions have no effect on reality.**

 **Cost [Variable]: 500 AP/cast**

 **Maximum Duration of Dimension: 15 minutes.**

 **Current Available Dimensions:**

 **Empty Dimension**

 **Beowulf Dungeon**

" _Wait, what? I can create Beowulves? What kind of skill is this?"_

"- Receive injuries without taking bodily damage, just a reduction in HP-"

Weiss decided not to demonstrate this particular skill.

 **Wise decision-making has increased your WIS by one.**

" _You think you're so funny, system. Sarcasm now? Pinnacle of comedy. Bravo."_

"- and finally my body is identical to that of a videogame character, so I don't need to sleep and I am always calm."

"That's… nice. I'm… going to need a minute for this one, alright?"

"No problem, Winter. Take your time. I know first-hand how… shocking this is."

Massaging her temples for a full forty-five seconds, Winter finally looked at her sister again.

"I have no idea about how to react to this, so I'm just going to ask you: What do you have planned to do with this? If and when Father finds out, he's going to go ballistic over the fact your semblance isn't Glyphcasting."

"I can act as though my semblance is Glyphcasting, I have the skill. I fooled you, after all. And the more… _flambouyant_ applications of my Semblance are ignored if you don't know the true nature of it. I tried learning a skill from a book in front of a servant, and there was no reaction from them. _None._

And as for plans? To be honest, I was going to ask you. I need a training regimen to maximise my efficiency with respect to developing my skills. I study 8 hours a day, but I gain 9-10 hours due to not needing to sleep, so I overall can train for 14-16 hours, depending on meals, each day without getting tired. On that note, physical exhaustion doesn't affect me anymore. If I push myself to the point where I'm physically unable to move, I recuperate within the hour. And the studying time isn't wasted either; I can train INT and WIS during them.

I was planning to go into spellcasting, with Myrtenaster as backup for close range and to assist in Dust usage. I've picked up a variety of skills to fit that style, but as for which are the _best_ , I wanted to ask you."

"I suppose I could modify my own training regimen, though it's slightly different to you since my sabres don't use Dust and I focus more on close-range combat than what you're suggesting. Send me a list of your skills, with full descriptions, and I'll see what I can do. I should be finished by… dinner, shall we say."

"Thanks, sis. See you at dinner."

* * *

Dinner was a cordial affair.

Verrückt and Viktoria Schnee were pleased to have their eldest daughter back and queried her on her impressions of Atlas Academy.

Weiss wasn't particularly interested, however, seeing as after this she would _finally_ be able to start training for combat with the help of Winter. When asked about her aloofness from conversation, she replied that the two had already chatted extensively on the subject.

Dinner dragged on and despite the delectable food served to celebrate Winter's return for the holidays the meal was far too long for Weiss' taste: enduring it was particularly hard as conversation meandered from Winter's classmates to teachers to accommodation and everything in between. Nevertheless, she bore it with dignity, the picture of serenity.

After her parents finally finished their… interrogation of Winter, she hurriedly asked for permission to leave before it could enter a new area of conversation.

Granted permission, she left with grace until the doors shut behind her, her parents discussing business matters relating to the Schnee Dust Company. Something about pickets and Dust thefts?

Dismissing the thought, she turned to Winter expectantly.

"Weiss, that list you sent me… frankly, I'm worried. There's a reason pure Aura skills have fallen out of favour and I don't want to see you injured whilst trying to perform them."

"Winter, calm down, my Semblance helps me greatly in that area. I don't need to worry about losing a limb - any damage I take is simply subtracted from my HP bar."

"Even so… you're my sister. It's my duty to worry about you, Snowflake."

Weiss sighed at the use of her childhood nickname.

"The training schedule, please. I appreciate your concern, but it is unfounded."

"Alright. We have state-of-the-art training facilities here with the recent advances in hologram technology able to simulate combat, so that's not an issue. Two days of the week will be set aside for non-Aura training. Aura is certainly useful, but one should be prepared for the scenario if it runs out. Aura is meant to be a tool for Hunters, not a crutch to support you. It is a force multiplier, but it is not invincible. On these days, you will focus on physical conditioning: activities such as gymnastics, strength training, acrobatics and so on. Additionally, your melee combat will be trained. I'll do it for these two weeks, but after that you should look into getting instructors for the various rapier styles.

The remaining days will be dedicated for Aura training. Aura is akin to a muscle: the more it is used, the stronger it becomes. Your Glyphcasting, Auric and Dust skills will be trained on these days. I would recommend experimenting with your abilities: there is a reason this world is called Remnant as much knowledge has been lost to the Grimm when civilisations fell. Not all of the Aura abilities you wish to wield will be in books. Your combat style revolves around bombarding enemies with Aura attacks - the two main flaws are that in close range it is exponentially harder to fight in such a manner and that you have a hard limit: the size of your AP bar. You should therefore devise ways to keep these situations from occurring, such as methods to lock opponents down and increasing your AP, for example.

When you're meant to be sleeping, work on your passive skills. Meditation, for example, would be ideal to train during this time.

Finally, I want to ask you about this Dimension skill you have. It says it can form Beowulves inside of it?"

"To be honest, I haven't tried it yet because the cost is far too high. It's more than double my AP bar right now."

"In that case, I don't want you trying to use it unless I'm there. There's too many unknowns surrounding that skill, even for you. We'll start training tomorrow after your studies have finished, however tonight I want you to meditate and see the effects."

Weiss nodded.

* * *

Meditating was an interesting experience, Weiss noted.

The energies that flowed through the world were more accessible, more apparent to her: where before they were hints in her subconscious now she could see how her Aura interacted with the world around it, drawing power from and distributing it in her body, or alternatively shielding her from her surroundings. It was a fundamentally different way of seeing the world at its most base level.

 **Meditation (Active) - Level: 1**

 **All living creature possess Aura, the light of the soul whilst Nature's power runs through Remnant, at times appearing as Dust. Allows user to interact with power from Remnant, drawing strength from it.**

 **Increases APR by 500% whilst meditating.**

 **Increases HPR by 500% whilst meditating.**

 **Increases AP by 0.5% per level.**

 **Cost: Free**

The benefits of the skill were astounding: it allowed her to recharge Aura significantly quicker outside of combat, and it permanently increased her AP by 50% at its highest level, assuming that was 100. Weiss was tempted to call it fundamentally broken.

 **Meditations upon the fundamental forces of the world have increased WIS by one.**

That benefit was useful, too.

* * *

The two weeks of winter break passed swiftly as Weiss became absorbed by her training.

Ironically, since this Semblance had broken her original routine, Weiss formed a new routine: meditate through the night, study in the morning until mid-afternoon and then train with Winter until bed.

Training was strenuous: some days her agility and dexterity were drilled constantly, other days she was forced to slay hologram projections of enemies with her Aura skills.

The worst days, however, were sparring with Winter. She was ruthless, picking apart Weiss' form, stance, grip and posture. Few breaks were given, as they were earned.

But yet, Weiss thoroughly enjoyed it all, as she could see herself getting stronger each day.

And now, at the end of the winter break, Weiss was sat with Winter in a Schnee limousine outside the Airship Docks in the capital of Atlas, surrounded by guards both robotic and human. Winter's airship would be arriving soon and Weiss intended to say goodbye in person.

"Weiss, you've made great progress these two weeks - I'm impressed. Continue and I think you'll be even stronger than I am at my age."

"I know Winter but I'm still going to miss you. And I could never be stronger than you."

"Don't say that Weiss, you have great potenti - Are you listening to me right now?"

In fairness, Weiss was not in fact listening at that point. She had just cause, however.

 **Long-Term Quest unlocked! See 'Quest' tab for details.**

 **Long-Term Quest unlocked! See 'Quest' tab for details.**

 **Encounter Quest started! 'Survive the White Fang attack!'**

 **Description: The White Fang militant group are assaulting your location. Survive the attack.**

 **Rewards: 10,000 EXP, Title: Bane of the Fang**

 **Failure penalty: Death, Kidnapping (dependent on time of failure)**

 **Time Limit: This encounter.**

 **This Quest has already been started.**

* * *

 **Weiss Schnee**

 **Level: 10**

 **Title: The Gamer**

 **HP: 340/340**

 **HPR: 3.4/min**

 **AP: 340/340**

 **APR: 3.0/min**

 **STR: 11** (13)

 **AGI: 19** (22)

 **VIT: 12** (14)

 **DEX: 15** (17)

 **INT: 17** (20)

 **WIS: 22** (26)

 **LUK: 9**

 **Stat Points: 34**

 **EXP: 100/2500**

 **Credits: 1250 Lien**

 **Condition: Normal**

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **I know this chapter was primarily dialogue, but we'll get a lot of combat next chapter.**

 **Also, new main character introduced next chapter! (It's fairly obvious who…)**

 **Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, and please follow/favourite if you enjoyed reading.**


	3. Chapter 3: Combat Tutorial (Part 1)

**Many thanks to the 57 favourites and 73 followers.**

 **All rights regarding RWBY belong to Rooster Teeth. I have mixed feelings on the matter.**

* * *

 **Remnant: The Game**

 **Chapter 3: Combat Tutorial (Part 1)**

No sooner had Weiss read the notification than a series of gunshots rang through the air, sundering the silence in the Airship Docks.

The security forces surrounding Weiss and Winter reacted instantly. The head of the security detail began relaying orders to the guards, all shades of friendliness gone. Cold steel laced his voice as battle commenced.

"Misses, there is a lockdown area at the airport in case of terrorist attack. We'll escort you there whilst we hold off the White Fang. Squad A, escort the misses to the area as covered in your briefing. Their safety is your concern."

"Roger that, sir. Squad! Assume alpha formation."

Ignoring Winter's protestations that she could help, six soldiers surrounded the Schnee sisters and began escorting them across the waiting lounge to the secure area.

Idly, Weiss observed her erstwhile guards, if only to see how competent they are.

 **Schnee Security Guard**

 **Level: 15**

 **Title: Private**

 **HP: 580/580**

 **AP: 410/410**

 **STR: 31**

 **AGI: 21**

 **VIT: 28**

 **DEX: 22**

 **INT: 14**

 **WIS: 17**

 **LUK: 14**

 **Condition: Paralysed**

" _Really pushing the ignorant soldier stereotype there… These people are fully grown adults yet my INT, at 12 years old, is higher? Father should be informed of the poor soldiers he hires. Nevertheless, I suppose if we do get to this safe area they'll ha- wait, paralysed?"_

One of the guards had collapsed, falling to the floor in a pile of limbs and armour. Upon closer inspection, a small dart could be seen protruding from the side of his neck.

The apparent head of this squad swore violently, then reached for his headset, urging the group on even faster.

"Sir! There's at least one White Fang sharpshooter in the area. One of us is down with a tranquiliser dart in him."

"Understood, corporal. Keep moving, don't try and retrieve your comrade yet. Escorting the VIPs is your mission."

"Roger that, sir."

Despite having left the main area of conflict behind and entered the departure lounge, the sounds were still clearly audible. Shouts rent the air as calls for reinforcements or medics sounded across the battlefield, the screams of the wounded adding to the cacophony of bullets and grenades. Makeshift barriers were formed from rubble as lines of engagement formed from chaos.

Weiss' attention, however, was not with the battle raging behind her. There was a more immediate problem in front of them.

A group of 10 White Fang soldiers was in front of them, right in between the Schnee forces and their destination on the far right side of the lounge and another 10 on their left.

" _Well, this is great. We've been pincered, and although our forces are stronger individually, numbers are a strength all on their own. Additionally, their leader is… intimidating."_

 **Adam Taurus**

 **Level: 47**

 **Title: Herald of Revolution**

Apart from that ominous revelation, there was only one other standout member from the group of White Fang

 **Blake Belladonna**

 **Level: 13**

 **Title: Shadow's Embrace**

The remaining 18 were ordinary grunts. Literally.

 **White Fang Grunt**

 **Level: 7**

 **Title: N/A**

* * *

" _Why does my semblance give me the names of some but not others? That's beside the point right now. Get your head in the game."_

Gunshots rang as the White Fang forces opened fire on the Schnee security guards. The group split, with two using abandoned furniture as cover to delay the rear group whilst the remaining three guards attempted to overcome the resistance at their destination.

" _We're outnumbered and outgunned. The two guards at my back will probably fall after taking down 5-7 of the grunts, leaving a few remaining plus that Belladonna girl. Due to Adam being at our front, the three with Winter and I will only be able to take out up to four grunts. At that point, we'll be surrounded by approximately 10 enemies. I can easily take the remaining enemies behind us, but Winter might be overwhelmed by Adam._

 _Therefore, I need to split the battlefield up. The obvious answer is to use my Dimension skill and port myself and as many grunts as possible into a separate dimension. The sudden loss of their companions will hopefully sow confusion into their ranks. Realistically, I can only handle Blake and three other enemies._

 _The issue with that is my AP literally cannot afford the cost to activate it. Hence, I need to increase my AP bar immediately. I'll need to dump all of my Stat Points into INT, since that seems to be a large factor in my flat AP amount, before factoring multipliers."_

An almost physical sadness overcame Weiss as she added all 34 of her stat points to INT. It was inefficient, after all, to add them now. Survival, however, had a rather nasty habit of voiding all other considerations when making a decision related to it. Confirming her choice, the change was immediately noticeable. Her INT had almost _tripled_ , after all.

 **The skill Aura Affinity has been created by raising INT above 50.**

 **Aura Affinity (Passive) - Level: 1**

 **Man has learned to draw upon the light of their souls to survive in an unforgiving world. This skill increases the user's sensitivity to Aura and permits them to use and control Aura more effectively.**

 **10% increase in APR.**

 **15% increase in total AP.**

 **15% increase in Magic Attack and Defense.**

" _That's… a very strong ability. Useful, too. Those bonuses probably allow me to handle an extra two grunts. After the multipliers, I have approximately 1000 AP to use which greatly increases my survivability as even after using Dimension I'll still have much more Aura than anyone here, save Winter or Adam."_

It played out exactly as Weiss suspected.

" _Well, the guards have done their job. Up to us, now."_

"Winter, I'm going to take the brunette and five of the grunts into a separate Dimension. When I do, take the distraction and attack their leader."

"Summon Dimension!"

The change in surroundings was… hardly notable, in the physical sense. Everything was exactly the same, minus any damage that had occurred in the preceding fight. The truly jarring aspect was the complete lack of noise. It was deadly silent, with none of the sounds of battle from the main engagement area penetrating the space. The switch from the cacophony of noise to the quiet of a graveyard was immediately off-putting.

Various sounds of exclamation permeated the air as the White Fang noticed their separation from their allies. Weiss wasn't going to let such an opportunity go to waste. Seizing the advantage, she began her assault by casting two Aura Bolts at the pair of grunts in front of her.

 **Aura Bolt (Active) - Level: 4**

 **A skill that emits a bolt of Aura in its pure form. Range and damage increase with level and INT.**

 **Current range: 12 metres.**

 **Cost [Static]: 5 AP/cast**

This was the cheapest of Weiss' offensive Aura abilities. The attacks were only intended as a distraction to allow her to close the distance between them and her. Still confused from the disorienting feeling of being teleported to another dimension, they were further confounded by the pair of Aura Bolts slamming into their chests. Despite being relatively weak, the grunts lost a fair amount of Aura in defending it.

" _They lost that much Aura? Well, that makes my life easier. Let's see them follow this."_

Despite being a relative novice in the use of her rapier, Weiss rapidly gained the advantage in melee combat with the pair. Having to switch from their SMGs to their short-range weaponry didn't help matters.

Weiss utilised her superior speed, flashing in with her rapier. Tracing a complex set of patterns with her blade, she blended immaculate footwork and smooth transitions in a dance of metal. Innumerable thrusts and slashes rapidly overwhelmed the Aura reserves of the two grunts as they tried to parry her blade from its mark. Their hasty guards were penetrated by a rushing Myrtenaster as it simply ignored their defences. It was no contest between the grunts and the heiress.

Collapsing from Aura exhaustion, the two grunts fainted on the spot.

" _Two down, three to go. They'll be on guard for Aura Bolts, so let's give them something else to consider."_

The dust chamber in Myrtenaster spun, clicking to the Frost dust setting. Channelling her Aura through the rapier, Weiss summoned two lances of ice and promptly hurled them at the remaining grunts. Their legs were frozen by the surprise attack, hindering their movement as surely as a pair of footcuffs. The ice wouldn't hold for long, but that was immaterial.

Their chances of surviving Weiss' assault with her rapier was precisely zero if they had no mobility to dodge with.

They rapidly joined their comrades on the floor in a pile of unconscious, bruised limbs and bodies.

" _These White Fang are actually pathetic. Who is training them? Five on one, I've taken four out in under a minute with no retaliation."_

That particular train of thought was derailed by the black katana hurtling towards her torso, however.

* * *

 **So… V3E12, huh. That was… a thing.**

 **That episode sapped a lot of my motivation to write. I've cut this chapter short because I don't want to leave you guys hanging as this is already a week late, but even this shortened chapter was a struggle. The normal schedule of uploads will recommence once this goes up.**

 **Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, and please follow/favourite if you enjoyed reading.**


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